Threads of Ink
by Fher34
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke hadn't minded the tattoos. At first. SasuHina. AU. 4.14.19


**A/N:** Same as the previous publication. I'm not dead, just dying under piles of work (haha).

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**XXX**

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**Threads of Ink**

**XXX**

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Uchiha Sasuke had really not minded the tattoo.

At least, not until the tattoo that had one day appeared above his navel…took a more plural aspect.

Now, at the age of twenty-five, he stood before his full-length mirror, dark eyes narrowed with disbelief as they inspected the new addition on his skin.

Just when he'd thought nothing could surprise him anymore, this happened. For the eighth time in as many years.

The hand toweling his wet hair remained frozen on top of his head, but his body slowly, almost robotically, turned fully to face the front, his eyes glued to his right hip.

Resting just above the towel wrapped around his lower half was an inked branch of plum blossoms that hadn't been there five minutes ago.

The pale flowers, along with their red-violet receptacles, were recognizable by the round shape of the petals. The design illustrated was so exquisite -so detailed- Sasuke swore he momentarily smelled the perfume of the Japanese flower.

Despite the beauty of it, Sasuke was pissed, offended at having some otherworldly being (god? karma? fate?) etching senseless art on his skin like he was some sort of human canvas. And, contrary to previous occasions, this time the tattoo was in color.

Thankfully, it seemed like the tattoo wasn't too big this time and…

Wait, he thought, hastily tugging at the towel. Sure enough, the tattoo had grown in length, stretching down to his midthigh without his notice.

"…Fuck."

Sasuke stared, cursed again, and then stared some more.

Forcibly taking a deep breath, he tried to remind himself that this wasn't out of the ordinary.

All of his suddenly gained tattoos possessed the characteristic of being well done and spacious. The twin lion heads adorning each of his shoulders were proof of that, followed by the caged bird inked over his entire left pectoral. The plum blossoms were no exception.

As if to mock him further, the branch grew an additional couple of centimeters more in front of his wide eyes, colored ink spilling over his pale skin.

"Well…shit." Now that also had never happened with the others. Usually, the tattoos would appear on their own without his notice. This was the first time he'd witnessed their appearance.

Slightly overwhelmed, nursing a headache, and now a whole thirty centimeters of tender skin, Sasuke had no time left to ponder about his circumstances, his doubts, or even his anger; the distinctive sound of his cell phone alarm going off from the other room snapped him to attention.

He was going to be late for work.

"Fuck!"

.XXX.

When he arrived at the office twenty-eight minutes behind schedule, Sasuke was not a happy person.

His father's employees took note of it and wisely chose to stay out of his way. On another occasion, Sasuke would've been grateful. Today, he was plain annoyed.

Itachi didn't have to look up from his work to know his little brother was in a terrible mood. "Do close my door gently next time," he commented, jotting something down on paper. "Furniture can't possibly be the root of your predicament."

"If only," Sasuke retorted, falling unceremoniously into Itachi's guest chair.

Finishing whatever piece of paperwork was in his midst, Itachi placed it in a folder and stored it away. Crossing his arms and reclining on his seat, he gave his baby brother his undivided attention. He was well aware Sasuke hadn't paid him a visit out of pure courtesy.

"If I had any plants in this office, they would have withered the instant you walked into this building. You look irate this morning, Sasuke. Did you run out of tomatoes?"

Sasuke was indignant. "Don't start with me. I'm not in the mood for unnecessary banter."

"…It's those tattoos again, hm?" Itachi guessed, calculating dark eyes trained on his face.

Sasuke blinked, then mumbled an unenthusiastic, "Hn." It always amazed him the ease with which Itachi read him.

Itachi's lips twitched into a slight smile. "Where did it appear this time? Your leg, your foot, your toes? I've heard ankle tattoos are the rage this season."

Sasuke gave no reply, seething quietly.

"Maybe somewhere more…private, say?"

The younger Uchiha's glower only darkened. His gaze rose to meet the amused eyes of his older brother. He regretted, not for the first time, having confided in Itachi. "Be serious."

"But I am, little brother. The lower half of your body is all that's left. Even your neck wasn't spared. Poor you has to wear long sleeves and high collars to work daily, even in summer. Tsk, tsk."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, striving to control his temperament. As calmly as he was able, he spoke. "I'm not here to discuss what little remains of my untattooed skin. I need to contact Konan, and there's only one person in this office who knows how." He stared at the older Uchiha pointly.

A defined eyebrow was lifted as all the mirth vanished. "…Konan-san, you say?"

**.XXX.**

Ninety-nine point four percent of the office thought Konan was crazy. Sasuke was part of that ninety-nine point four. Itachi made the remaining zero point six.

Sasuke couldn't exactly condemn him; Itachi had always liked his ex-secretary for whatever reason. What an idiot.

Whether it was romance or simple friendship, Sasuke couldn't say. Unlike Itachi, Sasuke could never read the older Uchiha accurately.

As he stood in front of her apartment, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Asking for her opinion on his condition was the last thing he wanted.

But.

He no longer had an option. The spontaneous tattoos were driving him insane and he was running out of unmarked skin. The next time one of them emerged, where would it be? On his face? Sasuke didn't dare admit it aloud, but he dreaded the possibility.

Yes, Konan was strange, her time as an Uchiha employee cut short due to her ability to foresee things no normal person should have. Whether those things concerned professional businesses, personal conflicts, or casual endeavors, it mattered not their nature: Konan knew them all.

This propensity for the unexpected had scared many of her coworkers away, resulting in isolation and nasty gossip. To the surprise of no one, Konan eventually decided to resign. Itachi had attempted to talk her out of it, but he unexpectedly failed.

That had occurred four years ago.

However, despite her being gone, her words lingered. A particular conversation during a slow afternoon had made her unforgettable in Sasuke's mind. Back then, no one had been aware of the tattoos, not even Itachi. And yet. She had known.

"_They're spreading, huh._"

She had said it so casually, as if commenting on the weather. No wonder everyone in the office avoided her. The woman had a distinct lack of social aptitude and it showed. Not that Sasuke could talk. If not for Itachi, who knows what he'd become.

Now, however, Sasuke wanted to understand how that woman had known about his tattoos and if she could tell him more.

Sasuke sighed, taking one last glance at the written address Itachi had given him. The note added, at the very bottom, '_to be on your best behavior!_'

That Itachi. What did he think Sasuke was? A dog? Jeez.

Tsking, he folded it and shoved it in his pocket. "Let's get this over with."

He pressed the doorbell and politely stepped back.

No answer.

He waited patiently for a moment, then rang again.

And again.

Frowning, he opted for knocking, his earlier composure quickly waning. Perhaps the device was faulty? Or was she ignoring him on purpose? Just when he thought no one was home, the door opened.

A young woman with short blue hair stood in the doorway, a gray cat in her arms.

"Konan-san- " Sasuke started to say, only to freeze.

The girl, who was most definitely not Konan unless the crazy ex-secretary had gone blind, shrank a foot in height and gained about a decade of youth, froze in return.

Sasuke's mouth closed with a snap.

_I know her._

The thought came unbidden, powerful and almost loud in its certainty. He regarded her with wide eyes, the air in his lungs suspended in bewilderment.

_I know her._

She was familiar.

But...he'd never seen her before in his life, of this he was certain. How could anyone ever forget those silvery moon eyes or that voluptuous figure dressed in striking blue and red?

Regaining his bearings, he cleaned his throat, painfully aware of the difficulty of the task. God, when had his mouth gone drier than a desert?

"Excuse me…" he rasped, internally distressed at how breathless he sounded. "I must have got the wrong apartment." With stiff muscles, he made to leave, his mind momentarily scheming ways in which to murder Itachi.

An unbelievably soft voice stopped him. "Ko-Konan-sensei! Are you…are you looking for her?"

Sasuke tried to avert his eyes. He really did. But no matter his will, his eyes were riveted to her bright gaze.

Almost hypnotically, her eyes drew him to her, and he took a shaky step forward.

"Yes." He was almost ashamed at how needy his voice sounded.

God. What was wrong with him?

The girl, who couldn't be older than twenty-two, licked her lips.

Terrible move, really. If he hadn't been looking at her before, he was unquestionably looking now.

"Well, um," she stammered, the cat hissing in discomfort as she tightened her arms around it, "Konan-sensei had a sudden appointment this morning."

Sasuke's entire face soured.

"But! But she'll be back soon," she was quick to add. "W-would you like to step in and wait for her?"

In another world, he would've said 'no' without hesitation.

But at that moment, Sasuke couldn't help but find the offer tempting. Especially when it included a young woman with exceptional amethyst-colored eyes. "...Yes, thank you."

.XXX.

"I hope hibiscus tea is to your liking," Yuuhi Hinata, as she had presented herself, set a tray on the low table, Konan's cat preoccupied with a toy at the other end of the living room.

"Hibiscus's fine," Sasuke said distractedly, his attention captive by the way her short hair brushed softly against her cheeks. He'd thought Konan's hair to be unique, a blue-lavender color moderately interesting. He was coming to realize that Hinata's shade of violet-blue was even more stunning.

Why of all times had his hormones decide to work when he least needed them to?

He was staring (and staring hard) and to his chagrin, nothing could force him to look away for too long.

You fool, you'll creep her out like this!

The red of Hinata's cheeks was proof of her awareness of him.

Doing his best to blink away the trance he was in, he decided to make small conversation, something he usually avoided like the plague.

"So, Yuuhi-san, how long have you known Konan-san?" he began, taking the white ceramic cup offered to him.

By the way she moved around the apartment, it was clear she was often around. The fact that she was here by herself spoke volumes too.

"Oh! Yuuhi-san is my mother. Please, call me Hinata," she insisted, grabbing a cup of her own. "And well, I've known Konan-sensei since my mother adopted me. They've always been good friends," she explained, smiling.

I know her.

He couldn't shake off the strange feeling that persistingly resounded in his being.

But from where?

Then something she said clicked. "Adopted?" he repeated, unable to hide his surprise.

Lowering her eyes to study the crimson liquid, she nodded. "It was for the best," she said and Sasuke could tell she would comment no further on the subject.

"I see." Although curious, he let it go. "You call her Konan-san sensei though. Is she a teacher now?"

Hinata took a sip. "Something like that."

Sasuke's brow arched. "That's…rather vague."

The girl chuckled and Sasuke's every cell quivered. God, even her laugh fascinated him.

Shit.

He was going as crazy as he'd judged Konan to be. Itachi would have a field day if he knew.

Thank heaven she continued talking, otherwise, Sasuke worried he'd make an imbecile out of himself.

"You said you were an Uchiha, correct? Konan-sensei worked as a secretary in her time with Uchiha Enterprises, so I don't think…she divulged her second job much."

"…Second job?"

Pink lips curled into a soft smile. "She's a tattoo artist."

Sasuke's cup slipped from his suddenly weak fingers.

Tea spilled on his lap. In his shock, he hardly felt the sting.

Hinata yelped and was quickly by his side. "Sasuke-san, are you okay?! Here, let me get you a towel!"

But Sasuke wasn't about to waste time. He grabbed her by the arm, halting her movements. "Forget the tea. Konan-san…she's a tattoo artist?"

She was giving him a strange look. "That's right-"

And it was then, as she tried to pull away, that the sleeve of her blue long-sleeve turtleneck rose to reveal a pattern of ink he knew exceedingly well.

"You..."

"Wha-What are you doing?"

Ignoring her light protests, he rolled her sleeves higher and higher, his blood turning to ice the farther up he went.

There, on her fair skin, were the same exact tattoos he possessed. The same designs in the same place.

"...Hinata." Fuck the honorific, fuck formalities. He had worse things to worry about than proper etiquette.

Be on my best behavior?_ As if._

"Where…where did you get those?"

Was his vision swimming? Was he about to faint? There was a piercing sound in his ears and his surroundings had grown hazy.

Maybe it was the seriousness of his voice that made her go still, or the unnerving way his eyes stayed glued to the designs rooted on her skin that made her humor him and not call the police right there and then.

"I…I received them years ago."

"Received? What does that mean?"

But she didn't want to say; he could tell by the tightness of her mouth.

"They just appeared one day, didn't they? One after the other, one every year."

Fearful white eyes snapped to his. That was confirmation enough. "How do you- How do you know that…?"

Sasuke felt like the world had gone upside down. Or maybe it was the sick sensation in his gut warning him of future bile.

Slowly, he let go of her arm, and stood, hot tea still drenching his crotch.

His next action made Hinata's mouth drop with a pop.

"Wha…what are you doing?!" she demanded, scandalized, her face hot. Why was Uchiha Sasuke, brother of Itachi-kun, who often visited her sensei, undressing in front of her?!

"Hinata, just- just take a look. Wait, why are you covering your eyes?!"

"Be-Because!"

"Just- just look! Look at my arms- hey!"

It took longer than it should for her to listen to him. Konan's pet, startled by the commotion, made its escape to the kitchen. When Hinata finally managed to do as she was told, her hands (which had served to cover her eyes) lowered.

She gasped.

Tattoos of all kinds covered every inch of skin. Runes coiled around his arms in patterns and pieces so complex her head swam. She couldn't help but stare at his exposed torso.

"This…how can this be?"

A familiar bird, still inside its cage, covered the left part of his chest. A crescent moon, seemingly dripping stars to a small pool below, covered his right.

Hinata touched her own breasts, where just beneath her clothes, the same drawings resided in black ink.

Above his navel, resting at ease as if giving off warmth, was a giant sun, its dark flames licking the edges of the clear circle.

She didn't have to look at his back to know that a pair of twin lion heads took over much of it and that at the nape of his neck, a set of wild ravens had made themselves at home. Even that lotus flower she loved so much but barely got to see because it was located low on her spine, had to be present.

"Oh God…oh _God_."

It was a good thing she hadn't been standing.

"I don't…I don't understand. You, why would you and I have…? Today, when I saw you…something in me said I knew you…that I could trust you to…to come in and…" she trailed off, her hands trembling. "Oh, God. I thought I was the only one like this! For the longest time, I thought I was going c-crazy, I had no explanation for my tattoos. They would just…show up, but now you're…"

"-here. Now there's two of us," Sasuke finished for her.

"Now there's two of us," she agreed, tears beginning to spill.

His chest clenched at the sight. "…I apologize if I acted rash earlier, when I grabbed you. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just…"

"In shock?" she offered with a watery smile.

"Yeah."

"It's okay. I-I forgive you. This is…quite unexpected."

Sasuke released a shaky breath. "You don't say. It's funny, though."

Hinata wiped away her tears with the back of her arm. "What is?" she questioned.

Sasuke huffed, leaning his back against the table. "I came here for answers. Konan-san, I believed she had them, or at the very least, I thought she might have an idea of why my tattoos behaved the way they did. She was the one that knew about them before anyone else, though I had never discussed them to her. Or anyone else."

Hinata's head snapped quickly in his direction. "Wait, she knew...about you?"

Sasuke nodded. "Did she know about yours too?"

"Yes…I wished to…know more about them, their origins, their meanings. Their reasons for appearing on me. I just wanted answers. So I came to Konan-sensei and she instructed me. My family…they are very traditional, you see, and when they saw the tattoos on me, they thought I was trying to rebel against them. Of course, they didn't believe me when I said I had no idea how they'd ended all over me. Matters with them got very…ugly. And that's why my mother, Kurenai, she…she took care of me when no one else did. And then…I met Konan-sensei, and she, she was aware of the reason why I was with my mother in the first place. So she taught me. She taught me about tattoos..and lore…and how to apply the ink deep in the skin. If I became a tattoo artist, no one would question why I had tattoos; it'd be a stable career without too much stigma."

"You're Konan-san's apprentice then," Sasuke surmised.

"Yes."

"Did you…find anything?"

"Uh, more or less?" she ventured. "B-but keep in mind most of it is...speculation."

Sasuke was silent for a long moment. "Do you think you can teach me?" he finally voiced. "The things you've learned so far, I mean. I, too, seek answers to all this confusion."

Hinata swallowed, and slowly got to her feet. "The answers you seek, the theories I have…you may have a hard time accepting them. I know I do. And now..." she trailed off, her gaze lost in something only she could see. "Now, there's you. Why do both of us have the same threads of ink?"

Sasuke shook his head with no answer to give. "If only we knew. This situation is unbelievable as it is. If we find something, I don't think I'll be surprised-" he started, and then remembered the last straw that had forced him to finally contact Konan. "Wait."

Hinata stiffened. "Wh-What?"

"Take your pants off."

"…Ex-Excuse me?!"

That had come out sounding terrible. Nonetheless, Sasuke was a businessman and he had business to take care of. "I didn't mean to say it like that, but this morning- this morning a plum blossom tattoo appeared in my right hip. It runs down my thigh. Have you seen it yet?"

By the expression of genuine surprise on her features, she had not.

In her haste to check, she disregarded his presence and pulled down the band of her red leggings.

Sure enough, what Sasuke had said remained true; the same exact replica he'd seen this morning on his own skin was on hers.

"…again," she breathed. "Another tattoo. W-Will they ever stop appearing?"

Sasuke had no real answers to that. "That's what I came here to find," he sighed.

"It's beautiful, though," she admitted, eyes lingering on the extraordinary design. "H-How can I be upset when these tattoos are so beautiful? That's not even fair."

Sasuke huffed. "It really isn't."

"And…" she frowned. "Sasuke-san, this one is in color. All the others are in black-" she said, turning her gaze to him, only to exclaim in surprise for the second time that day.

"What is it?" Sasuke demanded, alerted.

She pointed at his chest. "T-The ink, the ink is changing c-color."

Sasuke looked down almost fearfully to discover that she spoke the truth. "Is your ink…doing this as well?"

Eyes met, and it didn't take any prompting for her to discard her long-sleeve this time.

Shirtless, they stood in the living room, the tea forgotten and most likely cold by then, their eyes scrutinizing each other's heavily marked flesh.

"Why…why are they doing this? Am I-Am I dreaming? Is this…a nightmare?" Hinata stammered.

"Sorry to say, but this is a reality," Sasuke said dryly, doing his best to keep his cool. Which was kind of hard when your entire torso was luminescent. Swallowing, he said, "So, I think it's time for me to hear those theories you had."

.XXX.

"Are you sure we should have left them alone? You know what will happen to their tattoos if they meet."

Itachi tapped the tip of his pen against his chin, not at all worried. "Knowing my baby brother, he'll lose it but try to play it down. Sometimes, his pride comes in handy. Hopefully, he won't scare Hinata-chan away if things go south."

Amber eyes glanced calmly at the dark-haired male. "Itachi, if he hurts her, he'll have to answer to me. And Kurenai. She'll have his head in a spike before he even touches a hair on Hinata's."

"That, I believe," Itachi granted good-naturally. "She hasn't lived this long as a Guardian by taking her job easily."

"Reincarnated kids are hard to deal with," Konan admitted. "Most organizations aware of the Reincarnated will come after them, which is why I wanted to be present for your brother and Hinata's initial meeting. You know it'll leave them confused and overwhelmed. They'll be vulnerable. If they react badly, they may call attention to themselves; that's the last thing we want."

Itachi sighed. "You know Hinata-chan won't create a scene, and Sasuke isn't that stupid. He'll try to contain the situation through any means necessary. Besides, it's better for them to discover their Reincarnation themselves. Last time we tried to intervene as Guardians, it didn't go too well."

Konan sighed sadly. "I remember."

Itachi got up from his chair and buttoned his blazer. "We'll give them some space, and then drop hints if they have a hard time. You know, prob at their memories. Does that sound reasonable to you?"

Konan was thoughtful for a moment. "Yes."

Itachi nodded. "Good. Now, there's this dango shop I've been dying to try. Shall we?" he offered his arm.

Konan took it. "We shall."

**XXX**

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**A/N: Hahaha. Leave some love. I'm starving.**

**4.14.19**


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